Tasty burgers and more at University Grill (dining review)

Just in time for back to school, the University Grill is now open next door to Lucy's Coffee and Tea, on University Boulevard near the 20th Street South intersection. This small space has been home to other restaurants in recent years, including Becky's South, and more recently, Terri's Place.

With no parking lot, the University Grill is dependent on foot traffic from those working and living nearby. From the restaurant's name to their green and gold storefront to the pricing discounts offered to UAB students and employees, the goal here is obviously to cater to this clientele. However, they also offer delivery service to the downtown area.

A recent visit found a handful of patrons dining in at the lunch counter. There is also limited seating out front. However, most of the business comes from folks popping in for takeout.

The restaurant boasts the "best burgers in town". We sampled a small cheeseburger ($6.48 as a combo served with fries and drink) which delivered the goods -- if this is not the best in town, it is certainly as good as any we've tried. A patty of high quality ground beef was dressed with lettuce, tomato, mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, sliced onion, and American cheese, tucked inside a soft, fresh hamburger bun and wrapped in paper for neater eating.

Fries were fresh cut, thin-to-medium thickness, with potato skins on. Dusted with seasoned salt, the fries were tasty, but a tad on the greasy side. Fries can be topped with chili, cheese, or served Cajun ranch style.

Other sandwich offerings include a patty melt, grilled or fried chicken, chicken salad, grilled cheese, clubs, hot dogs and more. Prices range from $1.99 for a hot dog to $7.99 for a rib eye steak sandwich. In addition to fries, other homemade side choices include potato salad, Cole slaw, pasta salad and a house green salad.

The University Grill also serves meat and vegetable plates ($8.49 for a meat and two veggies with bread and a drink), with selections changing out daily. On the day of our visit, one of the specials, the pork chop, was offered either grilled or fried. However, we were told it would take 20 minutes to prepare, so we opted for the hamburger steak instead. This was tender and tasty--made from the same high quality meat as the hamburger--and served with a brothy, brown gravy.

Squash casserole was perfect--tender and well seasoned with bits of onion, and topped with lots of melted cheddar cheese. Lima beans were standard issue, as was an accompanying corn bread muffin.

Another special, the spaghetti plate, was served with a green salad, Texas garlic toast, beverage and a cookie. The serving of spaghetti noodles was enormous, and the sauce, which was mixed with the pasta was tasty with a slightly spicy kick. However, our taster thought there should have been a greater amount of sauce as well as beef--this entree only contained a few tiny chunks of ground beef.

The accompanying small side salad consisted of iceberg lettuce, tomato and grated cheddar cheese with a cup of ranch dressing served on the side. In lieu of salad, we could have chosen from any of the day's vegetable selections.

Desserts are priced at $2.99 each. Choices this day included banana pudding, Snickers pie, Oreo pie and peanut butter pie. We sampled the banana pudding and although it tasted homemade and had a wonderful creamy flavor, the consistency was soupy.

The University Grill also serves breakfast, including sandwiches, pancakes, French toast, omelets and full Southern breakfast plates. Breakfast sandwiches are priced from $1.89 for a basic egg filling to $3.85 with the addition of ham, sausage or hamburger meat. Sandwiches can also be served in a homemade biscuit or Texas toast. A homemade biscuit with sausage is just 99 cents. Omelets are priced around $7.00.

A one-egg plate with grits, rice, or hash browns, and toast or biscuit is priced at just $2.60. I found the scrambled egg to be slightly overcooked. Two pieces of wheat toast were buttered and served with jelly. A generous cup of salted grits accompanied. A side of smoked sausage ($1.99) was very high-quality, well seasoned and well browned.

Service at the University Grill is exceptionally friendly, and they are obviously eager to please and be part of the UAB community. Daily specials are posted on Facebook. Orders may be called in or faxed in for pickup.